The Bat Cave

TOP 25:

1. Ohio State (22-0)
Last Week: #1

2. Kansas (20-1)
Last Week: #5

3. Pittsburgh (20-2)
Last Week: #2

4. Texas (18-3)
Last Week: #9

5. Duke (19-2)
Last Week: #3

6. San Diego State (21-1)
Last Week: #4

7. Connecticut (17-3)
Last Week: #6

8. BYU (20-2)
Last Week: #7

9. Notre Dame (17-4)
Last Week: #12

10. Villanova (17-4)
Last Week: #8

11. Kentucky (16-4)
Last Week: #15

12. Texas A&M (17-3)
Last Week: #11

13. Purdue (18-4)
Last Week: #14

14. Missouri (17-4)
Last Week: #13

15. Syracuse (18-4)
Last Week: #10

16. Georgetown (16-5)
Last Week: #20

17. Washington (15-5)
Last Week: #16

18. Louisville (17-4)
Last Week: #22

19. Wisconsin (15-5)
Last Week: #17

20. North Carolina (15-5)
Last Week: Unranked

21. Minnesota (16-5)
Last Week: #19

22. Xavier (15-5)
Last Week: Unranked

23. Florida (16-5)
Last Week: #18

24. Arizona (18-4)
Last Week: Unranked

25. West Virginia (14-6)
Last Week: #23

DROPPED OUT:

Illinois (14-7)
Last Week: #21

Vanderbilt (15-5)
Last Week: #24

Florida State (15-6)
Last Week: #25

Comments:

-Outside of OSU, Texas is the hottest team in the nation. They really look like a championship caliber team and you can definitely make an argument for them at #3.

-How awesome was that BYU-San Diego State showdown? I was more excited for that game than any non-UW game all year. The first half was spectacular with both teams trading leads each possession and neither team jumping ahead by more than three points at any time. And how great was Jimmer Fredette? In the twenty minutes that spanned the last ten minutes of the first half and the first ten of the second half, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a better college basketball performance from a single player. BYU had top 5 potential, but the loss to New Mexico keeps them pretty much stagnant in my rankings.

-Washington vs Washington State was a let down. It seems like most of the Huskies didn’t even show up to play. Isaiah Thomas was 0-9 from the field late in the second half and I can’t remember Bryan-Amaning doing anything of significance the entire game. We had their two best players in foul trouble the whole second half and we didn’t even pretend like we were going to compete. Wack.

-Syracuse is really plummeting. I remember saying they seemed overrated through most of the non-conference schedule and now it looks like that’s starting to show. They got off to a great start in the Big East, but man, they are TANKING now… and when you look at their quality wins, the list doesn’t really stack up to the top teams: MSU (solid, but now unranked), NC State (pretty weak), Notre Dame (big win), and two wins over two of the weaker good Big East teams (SJU, Cincy). Exposed or in a funk?

-Louisville won’t go away. You expect them to lose to the better teams in the Big East and then they pull off two big wins this week and it looks like Peyton Siva (Seattle represent!) is really starting to blossom. Maybe this team really is top 25 good?

-UNC has been on the verge of being ranked for a while now but they always seem to take a loss at the end of the week. That didn’t happen this week. This is a team that beat Kentucky and four of their five losses were to top 25 teams… it’s not that bad for Roy Williams and co. this year.

-Xavier has asserted themselves as the best team in the Atlantic Conference and that’s saying something.

-I have Florida in the rankings still but I don’t feel good about it. I mean… does anyone think this team is really better than Tennessee? I doubt it.

-Two PAC-10 teams in the top 25? Did hell freeze over? Arizona is definitely taking advantage of the conference… but still, wins @WSU and over USC and UCLA are nothing to scoff at. However, quality wins outside the PAC-10? NC State. Yawn.

-I still can’t rank teams like Utah State, Coastal Carolina, or even Missouri State and Wichita State. I think they are all good teams, but come on, they aren’t playing in the same league as everyone else. Teams like Butler and Gonzaga are on the map Missouri State’s best win is against… Wichita State; and that’s the best win any of these teams has. Wichita State’s and Coastal Carolina’s best wins are both against LSU… but who hasn’t beat them? All solid teams, but come tournament time, these teams aren’t going to be your 4 or 5 seeds. Let’s be real. Lastly, Northern Iowa–last year’s Cinderella–has now beat both Missouri State and Wichita State on their home courts. Is the Missouri Valley Conference really going to be a multiple bid league? It’s looking likely right now.